I Was Going To Sell My Home Privately, Why Should I Use You?

This is a very important question and once I have explained it to you, the answer will be like chalk and cheese.

Many people are turning away from traditional real estate agents because of the huge commissions that they charge. I have had many home sellers over the past couple of years saying to me that I want to sell my house privately; we don't want to pay huge commissions. So we came up with a concept whereby we supply a full real estate service with a no commission and low commission package, all the owner has to do is show their own home, we do the rest.

This cuts down our overheads enormously and enables us to pass the savings onto you whilst giving you an option to selling privately.

The advantage with our system over the private sale websites is that you receive professional help from a licenced real estate agent, with many years of experience. We have negotiated and sold well in excess of 1,000 properties and we can save homeowners many thousands of dollars.

Your home is marketed on the number 1 real estate website in Australia realestate.com.au. and domain.com.au. These are the sites you need to be on to get the most enquiries. More than 90% of buyers find their next home on these websites.

Your sale is not a private sale but a listed property through our agency and receiving a full real estate service. We are licenced to sell real estate in Queensland and New South Wales.

Why would you want to sell your own home when we do it all for you at an affordable cost and you pay no commission .

Pricing My Home, How Do I Get It Right?

I have sold many homes during my career and believe me, you need to make sure the price is at or near the market price.

When selling a home it is essential that you get the price right, a home that is overpriced can sit on the market for months while other homes that are on the market are selling. Over priced homes help sell homes that are at or near market price.

Alternatively an under priced home will sell quickly but the owner will miss out on money that they would have received if the home was marketed at the correct price.

There are accurate ways of determining the price of you property

If you were going to sell privately, You can employ the servces of a valuer, this can be costly, however you will receive an accurate estimate of the value of your home.

You could invite several real estate agents to give you an appraisal of your home, however these can vary remarkedly. There are some agents that "buy listings" that is to recommend a higher price than what the property is truly worth, hoping to get the listing and over time convince the owner to reduce the price to meet the market.

You could undertake your own research, there are many ways of doing this.

You could attend open homes in your area and compare your home with other properties, you can go on to realestate.com.au type in your suburb or postcode and look for similar homes to yours and compare the prices.

The most accurate way of determining your price is by comparable sales. When an agent appraises your home they do what is commonly known as a CMA standing for Comparative Market Analysis. This is an analysis of homes similar to yours usually within a small radius of your home with similar attributes.

You can get this information from the internet there are sites where you can download this for a small fee. If you are using our no commission or low commission real estate service we will supply you a free property report.

For Sale Sign Do I Need One?

You cant sell a secret, I have spoken to many home owners who dont want a sign. I dont understand why so many people actually say NO we dont want a sign. If you are serious about selling your home you must have a sign. There are many buyers out there who go for a drive just to looking for properties for sale, if you dont have a sign you are missing a great opportunity when selling your home. I have sold many properties over the years just because someone saw a sign and rang me.

What ever you do if you are thinking of selling privately, when you arrange for a for sale sign DON'T have a home made sign, I have seen some terrible signs and this does not give you an advantage when selling your home. If selling privately invest some of the money that you will be saving into a professionally made sign However with the no commission service that we provide their is no need to sell your own home.

We recommend the former they are cheaper and they stand out just as well

The Photographic Display Sign: this is a great looking sign, again they are usually made in 2 sizes 1200x900 (4ftx3ft) and 1800x1200 (6ftx4ft) these are the signs that I always reccommend to my clients. Athough they are more expensive than the other type of sign, these are like an advertisement. You can include internal photos of your home and other features like swimming pools or views which cant be seen from the front of the property, plus you can include a description of your home along with any features that would appeal to any prospective buyers. Open home signs are an asset these can be obatined from realestateflagsandbanners.com.au

I cannot over emphasize the importance of a for sale sign. This is an essential item when selling.

Many real estate agents use open home flags or auction flags to promote their properties for sale, these can be obtained at an affordable price from

Listing Price How Shall I Market It?

Once you have arrived at a price that you think your home is worth there are several ways to advertise the price.

Lets say you think your home would bring a price of $450,00.

You could advertise it at $450,000 however this price leaves no room for negotiations.

You could market it slightly higher lets say $459,000 this allows room for negotiation without being too high as to price yourself out of the market.

Many homes are now marketed in a different way such as offers around $450,000 or offers wanted over $440,000.

This does not mean you are advertising it at $440,000 it is allowing your home to be available to more buyers and may result in more enquiries.

Lets face it without an enquiry it is very hard to sell a property.

You need to generate the enquiries in order to sell your home.

Once you have arrived at your price it is time to go to the next step.

If using our no commission and low commission service we will ensure your home is priced correctly, if you are thinking of selling a house privately, we offer free advice and you can even download our free property report

Home Presentation What Should I Do Before Putting It On The Market?

Presentation is everything, this is probably the most important part in selling a home apart from the price a poorly presented home will dramatically affect the saleability of any property. I have unfortunatly taken clients through homes such as this and the inspection is over within 5 minutes the buyers cant wait to get out. To achieve the best possible price for your home, certain thing will need to be completed before placing your home on the market. You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

Exterior of the home

Street appeal the outside of your house is your first opportunity to create a lasting impression.

Keep the lawn well-watered and mowed.

Trim any plants and shrubs that are overgrown. Plant some flowers.

Store any clutter such as toys, bicycles, gardening equipment and the like out of sight.

If necessary paint any timberwork that requires it. Sweep the entry and the driveway.

Hold a garage sale before the home is listed. This is a great opportunity to get rid of any clutter and provides the prospective home buyer an opportunity to really see your home.

Clean the gutters.

Buyers nearly always comment if gutters are full of leaves and it makes them question other maintenance issues.

Store or organize items that make the yard look untidy.

Swimming pools, spas, and their pumps and filters should be clean and operating smoothly. Ensure that the sprinkler systems and outdoor taps are working properly.

Interior of the home

Buyers won't purchase a home that they can't see. If your home has too much furniture, overflowing wardrobes, crowded kitchen and bathroom vanities or lots of family photos or collectibles on display, potential buyers won't be able to see your home.

Get rid of anything you don't need or use. Fill up your garage or rent some off-site storage space if that's what it takes to clear out your home.

Fix and repair any obvious things such as leaky taps, blown light globes, painted-shut or broken windows, inoperable appliances and the like should be fixed before you put your home on the market.

These repairs may seem small, but left undone they can lead potential home buyers to question whether you've taken good care of your home.

Presenting Your Home To Buyers, What Should I Do ?

Presentation of your home is so important I cannot stress it enough, I have outlined details below to enable you to present your home to prospective purchasers. Many private home sellers contact us for advice and we give them these tips. Some of them may seem simple but you would be surprised what buyers notice

Put out a new doormat, clean and polish the brass doorknob and knocker.

Put potted flowers on the frontporch. Make sure the front entry floor is sparkling clean and the porch and steps are swept. Remember you only get one chance to make a good first impression.

Stimulate the buyer's imagination by setting the stage. Set the dinner table with your best china and linens.

Put a pair of wine glasses and a vase of flowers on the coffee table in front of the fire.

Most potential home buyers like an interior with lots of natural lighting. Make sure all the curtains are open if it is a dark day turn on all your lights.

Be ruthless about odours. If there is a smell, your house won't sell. Use room deodorisers or even have some incense burning or an aromatic oil burner.

Bake some biscuits or a cake, put them out on the kitchen table, maybe have some coffee brewing.

Put photos of the family enjoying your home in different rooms throughout the home.

Presentation! Presentation! Presentation!

Wherever possible make sure that your house is clean and tidy for inspections.

Little things like having the lawn mowed or the dishes done can make all the difference to a buyer's first impression of your home.

Make sure that any pets you have are in an area where they dont jump up or annoy anyone inspecting your home, there is nothing worse than a dog jumping up onto people.

Showing Your Home To A Buyer How Do I Get The Best Results?

Obviously your home is being lived in you are not selling a show home, however it is very important that you present it as best as you possibly can. Poor presentation can cost you a sale and even a lot of money.

Whenever possible the home should have as few of the family members as possible present. If there are too many people present the prospective purchaser may feel uncomfortable and may rush the inspection.

Open up all the curtains to allow as much natural light in as possible, if it is a dark day maybe turn on all the lights.

Make sure the television is off and play some soft background music to create a soothing atmosphere.

Ensure everything that is not being used is put away.

I have conducted many open inspections where the owners have had wine glasses on the table, prepared coffee for guests and fresh flowers sitting on benches. The people have always commented on the owners professionalism in presenting their home to the public. PEOPLE NOTICE.

Meet and Greet

Finally the big moment has arrived and your prospective purchasers are knocking on the front door. Remember you have already set a great first impression by having the front of your home looking very inviting.

Always greet them with a warm friendly smile and introduce yourself and offer a handshake.

Try to build up a friendly rapport with them and give them an overview of your home and give them your brochure.

The next step is very important you need to carefully guide them through your home don't go too quick they need time to absorb what they are seeing.

Always answer any questions truthfully I have seen many agents that have answered questions without really knowing if their answers are accurate, this is misleading and could lead to problems down the track.

Don't ramble on and on people can be turned off very quickly, listen to what they have to say and answer concisely.

The Open Home

When you arrange a personal inspection people have contacted you by phone and you have their name and contact details which you would record.

The Open home is slightly different because you are letting people into your home who you have not spoken to or met before. Agents use a guest register which every person who inspects your property records their name their address and any comments. This information is extremely helpful and you also know that the lookers are genuine as they have left theit details. you can get your open home flag from flagsbanners.com.au

Plus it is nice to know who has been looking at your home this can give you peace of mind.

Allow the lookers to freely wander about your home and dont pester them give them their space, I have heard stories from prospective purchasers that have gone to open house inspections and the salesperson has hounded them so much they left a property that they were very interested in.

If you are considering selling your home or selling a house privately or wanting to have a for sale by owner type of sale, and you have any real estate questions regarding our no commission and low commission real estate services we would be happy to hear from you.

Save on Commission

Contact us now if you are wanting to pay No Commission or a Low Commission when selling your home. So if you have been considering selling your own home, call us now you will be glad you did.